Being the 5th largest city within Vietnam, as well as one of the most important touristically, Da Nang is well worth a visit. Therefore we present the YPT Da Nang guide.
To say Da Nang is “on the beaten track” would be fair understatement, with it being next to Nha Trang the second most important beach area of Vietnam. Of course it is also well known for its nearby islands and indeed the island hopping that goes with that.
There is though much more to Da Nang that just chilling on the beach……
What the Da Nang
Located in central Vietnam and formerly part of the state that was South Vietnam, Da Nang is now a cultural and economic hub of Central Vietnam.
Its total area is almost 1.3 million square kilometers, and with a population of 1.4 million it is also an extremely important city within Vietnam as a whole.
And of course it is well visited touristically with an extumateod 7.3 million people coming in 2023, almost back to 2019 levels.
Da Nang Guide to what to see and do
Being a beach town Da Nang is most associated with water sports, chilling by the beach and to a lesser degree partying. Other activities include island hopping, as well as a number of religious sites.
Nearby there are also a number of places to see such as Hoi An and the Great Marble Mountain. Alas there is relatively little related to the Vietnam War, although day trips to Hue and the DMZ can be arranged. From our point of view though Hue is well worth a visit itself.
The Da Nang Guide to eating and drinking
Being on the waterfront Da Nang is home to a whole heap of great seafood restaurants, with the outdoor variety by the beach attracting hordes of mostly Chinese visitors.
There are though plenty of slightly less touristy options that while not having the range of Nha Trang still make walking the streets worthwhile.
And then you have the glory that is Vietnamese street food, with Da Nang not disappointing. Most of the Da Nang Street Food is based around the many markets and night markets of the city. Yet while the food, such as squid and durian/sugarcane juice are amazing, the constant hassle by the over-zealous waiters can get a little bit tiresome.
Where to sleep in Da Nang
When creating a Da Nang Guide it is impossible to include even a small portion of the hotel, hostel and homestay options within the city, as they are quite simply so numerous.
What we found on our visit though was the well equipped and well priced Ibiza Riverfront Hotel. They not only have a great location and staff, but the prices range from just $19 for a standard room, up to just $34 for the frankly huge suite.
Da Nang Guide – Getting in and out
Da Nang is famously on the renowned Reunification Express which links Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City in the south. Going North to Hanoi and onto China would take 20 hours and then another 12.
If going south it is 16 hours to Saigon, with there then being options to take the bus to Phnom Penh, or going south to Phu Quoc and even onto Kampot.
The city is also conveniently less then three hours from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) town of Hue, which offers many sites suited to a Young Pioneer…
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